Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas Eve

When the fulness of
the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of
sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into
your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:4-6 (AV)

from Psalm 89

I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;

with my mouth I
will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;

in the heavens
you will establish your faithfulness.”

You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen
one;

I have sworn to
David my servant:

‘I will establish your offspring forever,

and build your
throne for all generations.’” Selah

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your
throne;

steadfast love
and faithfulness go before you.

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O
Lord, in the light of your face,

who exult in your name all the day

and in your
righteousness are exalted.

For you are the glory of their strength;

by your favor
our horn is exalted.

For our shield belongs to the Lord,

our king to the
Holy One of Israel.

Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:

“I have granted
help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted
one chosen from the people.

I have found David, my servant;

with my holy
oil I have anointed him,

so that my hand shall be established with him;

my arm also
shall strengthen him.

My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,

and in my name
shall his horn be exalted.

I will set his hand on the sea

and his right
hand on the rivers.

He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, and the
Rock of my salvation.’

And I will make him the firstborn,

the highest of
the kings of the earth.

My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,

and my covenant
will stand firm for him.

I will establish his offspring forever

and his throne
as the days of the heavens.

Isaiah 59: 15b-21

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him

that there was
no justice.

16 He saw that there was no man,

and wondered
that there was no one to intercede;

then his own arm brought him salvation,

and his
righteousness upheld him.

17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and a helmet of
salvation on his head;

he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

and wrapped
himself in zeal as a cloak.

18 According to their deeds, so will he repay,

wrath to his
adversaries, repayment to his enemies;

to the
coastlands he will render repayment.

19 So they shall fear the name of the Lord
from the west,

and his glory
from the rising of the sun;

for he will come like a rushing stream,

which the wind
of the Lord drives.

20 “And a Redeemer will come to Zion,

to those in
Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord.

21 “And as for me, this is my covenant with
them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put
in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your
offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring,” says the Lord,
“from this time forth and forevermore.”

Anthem: "There
shall a star from Jacob come forth"

Philippians 2: 5-11

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ
Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality
with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the
form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being
found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.

Anthem: "Te
Deum"

Luke 1:67-79

And his [John the Baptist’s] father Zechariah was filled
with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

for he has
visited and redeemed his people

69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for
us

in the house of
his servant David,

70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy
prophets from of old,

71 that we should be saved from our enemies

and from the
hand of all who hate us;

72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers

and to remember
his holy covenant,

73 the oath that he swore to our father
Abraham, to grant us

74that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

might serve him without fear,

75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet
of the Most High;

for you will go
before the Lord to prepare his ways,

77 to give knowledge of salvation to his
people

in the forgiveness of their sins,

78 because of the tender mercy of our God,

whereby the
sunrise shall visit us from on high

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,

O God, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of
the birth of thy only son, Jesus Christ: Grant that as we joyfully receive him
for our redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him, when he shall come
to be our judge; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one
God, world without end. Amen.